Another Johnson & Johnson Plant Under Investigation

The hits just keep on coming for Johnson & Johnson — on the heels of the news that the company would be closing down and laying off some 300 employees at the Philadelphia-area factory that was churning out musty, yucky pills, another plant in Lancaster, Pa., failed to receive a clean bill of health after an inspection by the Food and Drug Administration.

According to the company, the facility was issued a “Form 483,” a document given when the FDA deems inspection results unsatisfactory with compliance with regulations or have found a violation of good manufacturing practices.

The plant is operated by Johnson & Johnson-Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals, a joint venture of J&J and drugmaker Merck. It develops over-the-counter meds like Mylanta, Pepcid and Imodium.

“JJ/MCP takes the issues raised by the agency seriously and is fully committed to addressing their concerns as rapidly as possible,” the companies said in a statement. “We will provide a detailed response to the FDA and work diligently to address all observations.”

Before the Fort Washington, Pa. plant was shut down, it also received Form 483 reports, warnings and a hearing, not a good sign for this latest factory.